The Challenge of Change - Managing Excipients Control
Colorcon
25-Jan-2005 - Researchers in the US have shown that nanoparticles can be used to deliver genetic material into cells safely and effectively, potentially overcoming the primary obstacle to the development of gene therapy.
24-Jan-2005 - US researchers have developed a faster, more efficient way to produce a wide variety of nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, using DNA molecules to bind the particles together.
24-Jan-2005 - Allos Theraputics have initiated a phase 1 study of its investigational drug PDX (pralatrexate) that has so far proved effective against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This treatment has the potential to surpass Methotrexate as the preferred method of therapy.
24-Jan-2005 - Three chemicals companies - Akzo Nobel, the Hoechst unit of Sanofi-Aventis and Total subsidiary Arkema - have been fined €217 million by the European Commission for operating a cartel in the market for monochloroacetic acid (MCAA).
20-Jan-2005 - Excipient company JRS Pharma, part of the Germany's J Rettenmaier & Sohne Group, has introduced a new gelling agent to stabilise suspensions and emulsions, writes Phil Taylor.
20-Jan-2005 - A new study has revealed the pathway in the learning impairment caused by liver disease may lead to a drug treatment that would restore learning ability and provide a viable alternative to Sildenafil, commonly known as Viagra.
19-Jan-2005 - UK company The Medical House has entered into a deal with Swiss biotechnology firm Serono for a needle-free injector system for the delivery of human growth hormone.
18-Jan-2005 - Croda Healthcare's medical grade lanolin ingredient - used in a number of dermatological brands including the top-selling emollient product in the UK - has outperformed the industry standard emollient, petrolatum, in clinical trials.
18-Jan-2005 - Medical device company Boston Scientific has launched a new cardiovascular stent designed to deliver the drug paclitaxel in 18 countries around the world, stealing a march on arch-rival Johnson & Johnson.
17-Jan-2005 - Fine chemicals company Rohner is to work together with Switzerland's Solvias on the provision of development and manufacturing services for complex active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
14-Jan-2005 - Scandinavian biopharmaceutical company deCode Genetics intends to initiate a Phase I clinical trial of the first-in-class treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) which represents a promising therapeutic approach to a disease affecting over 10 per cent of the adult population.
14-Jan-2005 - Researchers have shed new light on the activation of a protein key to the development of cancers, particularly breast and prostate cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States.
13-Jan-2005 - A new European project on the emerging discipline of nanobiotechnology aims to tackle the thorny issue of safety as well as develop new materials for drug delivery and other medical uses, reports Phil Taylor.
12-Jan-2005 - Researchers have uncovered a novel treatment that could prove to be effective against tuberculosis (TB), a disease that has made a comeback due to the emergence of resistant strains of the offending bacterium and the spread of AIDS.
12-Jan-2005 - Scottish drug delivery and encapsulation specialist Encap has invested approximately £1.2 million (€1.7m)in new premises in order to boost its manufacturing capacity by 50 per cent.
11-Jan-2005 - US sweetener company zuChem will launch its initial mannitol product in the first quarter of 2005 on the back of the FDA's recent amendment to its legislation governing the sweetener, reports Philippa Nuttall.
10-Jan-2005 - A widely used drug to treat breast cancer has been significantly improved by the use of a new technology that binds it to albumin, a common constituent of human blood.
10-Jan-2005 - Ireland's Elan has altered its licensing agreement with Roche to give the Swiss firm expanded access to a technology designed to improve the performance of drugs.
10-Jan-2005 - Researchers in Singapore have developed a novel way of delivering drugs into the eye - load them into contact lenses.
06-Jan-2005 - TransPharma Medical has entered into collaboration with Teva Pharmaceutical to develop transdermal drug delivery systems. The deal aims to research and develop transdermal delivery of therapeutic drugs such as high molecular weight proteins.
06-Jan-2005 - The first new leukaemia treatment approved specifically for children in more than a decade was approved as Ash Stevens are to manufacture Clofarabine, the active ingredient in Clolar, used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
05-Jan-2005 - In keeping with the current trend among contract manufacturing organisations to tap into niche markets, SAFC has started construction of a new facility aimed at meeting the demand for manufacturing of highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
05-Jan-2005 - Using naturally occurring mutant mice with a defective collagen gene, scientists at Harvard have identified a signalling molecule involved in osteoarthritis, one of the most common causes of disability among the elderly.
05-Jan-2005 - The withdrawal of Merck & Co's COX-2 inhibitor Vioxx (rofecoxib) because of cardiovascular safety issues - and concerns about the safety of other drugs in the class - have left doctors with some difficult prescribing decisions for their arthritis patients.
04-Jan-2005 - West Pharmaceutical Services is to sell a substantial part of its drug delivery business to a newly formed company in return for $7.1 million (€5.3m) in cash and a 14 per cent stake in the new firm.